Marble game apparatus



Sept. 16, 1952 M. A. LIVINGSTON 2,610,853

MARBLE GAME APPARATUS Filed NOV. 23, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l IN VEN TOR.Mil 0V4 l/rm/ersrow P 1952 M. A. LIVINGSTON 2,610,853

MARBLE GAME APPARATUS 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Nov. 231 1949 numb IN VENTOR. MRI W4 z/rm/a-srolv Patented Sept. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES rsrorncsThis invention relates to amusement devices, and more particularly togames of the typein which small balls such asmarbles are projected alonga surface toward a selected target.

An object of the present invention is to provide apparatus whereby amarble game of a novel and highly entertaining nature may be played.

A more detailed object in this connection is to provide game apparatusof the general character indicated wherein marbles are projectedtangentially onto a course of circular form which is upwardly concave sothat its sides flare upwards and outwards similarly to those of ashallow bowl, causing each projected marble to follow a substantiallycircular path around the course, gradually spiraling down as the marbleloses velocity, until it enters one of a plurality of target openingsarranged in position to receive it adjacent the central, lowest portionof the course.

A further object is to enhance the suspense accompanying each shot by soconstructing the apparatus that each marble is concealed from view afterit has been played and until it finally arrives in scoring position.

A still further object is to construct the game of the present inventionin the form of a relatively light, readily portable piece of apparatusadapted for use upon a table or similar support, and thereby presentingthe device in the form of a parlor game.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription of the preferred form of my invention which is illustratedin the drawings accompanying andforming part of the specification. It isto be understood that I do not limit myself to the showing made by thesaid drawings and description, as I may adopt variations of thepreferred form within the scope of my invention as set forth in theclaims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a marble game incorporating theprinciples of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical, medial sectional view taken upon the line 22 ofFig. 1, with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken upon the line 3-3 of Fig.2, with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view in vertical section taken upon theline 44 of Fig. 3, with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 5 is a plan view showing one face of the reversible disc adaptedto be used upon the target area of the game apparatus of the presentin-- vention. l p

Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the opposite face ofthe disc.

Specifically describing that embodiment of my invention which has beenchosen for illustration and description herein, my improved marble gameapparatus is contained within a suitable cabinet ll preferablyrectangular and comprising a bottom 12, four side walls 13 and a top [4.A relatively large circular opening I5 is provided centrally in the topl4 affording access to and visibility of portions of the interior of thegame apparatus, as will be described in detail herein below.

Inthe preferable form ofthe game apparatus, the cabinet I l issufficiently small and light to be disposed and used upon a tableinasmuch as it is adapted for use as a parlor game. Furthermore, inorder to facilitate use of the game by a plurality of players, as wellas to add a further element of novelty thereto, the cabinet i l ismounted upon a base It adapted to rest upon the table or othersupporting surface I! and having a socket is in an upstanding, centralcolumn l9 thereon. Within the socket l 8 a pin 2| is journaled and thispin is a cylindrical extension of a base 22 on the under side of a plate23 rigidly secured to the under surface of the bottom l2 of the cabinet1 l, as by a plurality of machine screws 24 and nuts 26, in suchposition that the pin 2| is mounted with its axis intersecting thecenter of the cabinet ll. v

This typeof mounting for the cabinet I I makes it possible for a singlemarble ejector, indicated in its entirety at 3|, to be used successivelyby each of a plurality of players inasmuch as it permits turning thecabinet I! to any desired position about the vertical axis of the pin 2|so as to dispose the marble ejector 3| in the most convenient locationfor whichever player whose turn comes next. v

This marble ejector 3| comprises a tube 32 extending through one sidewall [3 adjacent one end thereof, thus disposing the tube 32 closelyadjacent and substantially parallel to the inner surface of the proximalside wall l3. A plunger 33, reciprocable within the outer end of thetube 32 is operable by means of a knob 34 accessible exterior-1y of thecabinet II and a coil spring 36 engaging the under side of the head ofthe plunger 33 urges the plunger 33 to the inner end of its stroke.Preferably, a considerably shorter spring 31 engages the under side ofthe knob 34 when the plunger 33 reaches the inner end of its stroke soas to cushion and substantially silence operation of the marble ejector.Marbles 38 are adapted to be loaded one at a time into the tube 32through an entrance tube 39 which opens downwardly into the ejector tube32 from the top l4 of the cabinet II where the upper end of the tube 39is provided with a relatively large mouth 4| to assist in manuallydepositing the marbles therein. I

The tube 32 of the marble ejector 3| is arranged substantiallytangentially of a circular upwardly concave plate 46 mountedwithin thecabinet ll upon the inner and outertubular members 41 and 48 whichsupport the plate 46 above the cabinets bottom l2 and sligh'tly belowits top l4. The outer tubular support 48 extends beyond and above theouter peripheral edge of the plate 46, thus presenting a circular walladapted toexert a centripetal force against marbles traveling in acircular path uponthe inwardly sloping, frusto-conical upper surface ofthe plate 46 at such velocity that they otherwise would be thrown bycentrifugal force off the marble course which the plate 46 and "wall 48thus co-operate to define. V

The bottom of the plate,;or marblecourse 46, is closed by a fiat,circular field '50; "and a screen 49-extends upwards from the'c'ircularline defined by the intersection of the field 50 with the lower end ofthe frusto-conicaljmarblepourse "46. This screen 49 is of generallytubular form, with its wall 5| of substantial thickness; The innersurface of the wall 5| preferably flares upwards and outwards so thatits upper edge merges into the opening in the cabinets top l4 which preferably, is of substantially greater diameter than the circular field 50so as to afford easier access and less restricted view of the field '50from any side of the cabinet "I I.

Through the wall 5| of the tubular screen 49 a plurality of targetopenings '52 extend. Each of these openings is so disposed that its axisextends radially outwards from the inner surface of the wall 5| adjacentits lower edge and upwards at such inclination that the outer end of theopening is 'closely adjacent the upper surface of the marble course 45where the lower edge of the tubes outer wall is in engagement therewith.However, instead of being of uniform width throughout its length'throughithe wall 5|, each of these target openings '52 preferablyflares outwardly, i. e., the two side-walls 53 and 54 (see Fig. 3) ofeach target opening diverge or flare to such an extent that eachintersects the proximal side wall 56 of the 'neiz't adjacent opening ina relatively sharp line 51. This is in contradistincti'on to theconstruction that would be presented if the side walls 5"3 an'd 54 ofthe openings intersected the cylindrical surface at the outer face ofthe s'creen"s wall 5| and is of importance in that it avoids thepossibility of a marble becoming lodged upon any one of thesubstantially fiat surfaces which otherwise would remain between theouter-bends of each two adjacent side walls of the. target openings 52.

Consequently, when a marble 3t is projected onto the marble course '46by means of the marble projector 3|, it will follow a substantiallycircular path thereon until it loses sufficient velocity to overcome thecentrifugal force which maintains it adjacent the upper edge of thecourse ,46. Thereafter, the rolling marble will travel .4 in a path inthe nature of a gradually decreasing spiral until it strikes the outersurface of the screen 49 and thereafter the marble will enter thetapering entrance throat at the outer end of one of the target openings52, and by rolling down the inclined lower side of that opening willpass through the screen 49 and onto the surface of the field 50, whereit will become visible to .the players. through the opening 15 in thecabinets top l4.

In order to retain each marble in position close- :ly adjacent the lowerend of that particular target opening 52 through which the marble hasreached the field 50, I provide a disc 6| adapted to rest flat upon theupper surface of the field '50 and having a plurality of notches 62 inits edge. These notches 62 correspond in number to the target openings52 and they are similarly angularly separated from each other so thatthe disc 6| may be placed upon the field 50 with each of the notches 62closely adjacent one of the target openings 52 anda dapted to receive amarble therefrom and to retain that marble in position so closelyadjacent that particular opening '52 that after themarble has come torest it is an easy matter to ascertain through which opening 52'themarble ha'scntered the range "of vision of the player's. v

Means are provided for as'cribing significant value to each of theopenings 52'so that a certain score is attained by the player whosemarble passes 7 through that opening. The values ascribed 'to theseveral openings being suitably differentiated from-each other, theentertainment value of the game is increased by its being given a highlycompetitivenature in this manner. The plurality of substantiallysectorshaped areas 53 are delineated as by lines 34 upon the surface ofthe disc 61 in such position thereupon that each such area 63 has oneo'fthe notches 62 located therein. The score ascribed to each area 63 andaccordingly to the associated entrance opening 52 is convenientlyindicated by calibrations 66, as illustrated in Fig. 5, in the form ofnumerals, one of which is marked in each of the sector-shaped areas 63.However. in order to make it possible to play a greater variety of gameswith the same apparatus, I prefer to provide on the opposite face of thedisc 61, another series of preferably sectoreshap'ed areas 61, one foreach notch 62, as in the case of the first mentioned areas 63,butrespectively identified by a different series "of calibrations 38 thenumerical value of which differs from that of the calibrations 66.Moreover, the sector-shaped areas of either or both sets 63, Blm'ay berespectively differentiated from each other by colors, th'us adding tothe attra tive nature of the apparatu's and still further'inc'reasingtne number of games that can be played therewith.

I claim: a

1. Marble game apparatus comprising a fiat, circular field, an annularmarble course encircling said field, the surface-of- "said courseflaring upwardly and outwardly from the edgeof said field, atubularscreen extending upwards from said course and arranged concentricallythereof adjacent the peripheral edge of said field, an outer wallencircling-said course to define the circular outer edge thereof, anannular c'over extending across the space between the upper edge of Saidscreen and the upper edge of said outer wall, the wallof said tubularscreen being of material thickness and having a plurality'of angularlyspaced tunnels extending downwardly and inwardly therethrough'providingpaths for marbles from the surface of said course to the surface of saidfield, and means for projecting a marble along the surface of saidcourse, said screen, outer wall, and cover being of opaque materialwhereby a marble on said course is concealed from view until it entersone of said tunnels. V

2. Marble game apparatus comprising a flat, circular field, an annularmarble course encircling said field, the surface ofsaid course fiaringupwardly and outwardly from the edge of said field, a tubular screenextending upwards from said course and arranged concentrically thereofadjacent the peripheral edge of said field. an outer wall encirclingsaid course to define the circular outer edge thereof, an annular coverextending across the 'space between the'upper edge of said screen andthe upper edge of said outer wall, the wall of said tubular screen beingof material thickness and having a'plurality of angularly spaced tunnelsextending downwardly and inwardly therethrough providing paths formarbles from the surface of said course to the surface of saidiiield,and means for projecting a marble along'fthe surface of said course,said screen, outer wall, and cover being ofopaque material whereby amarble on said courseis' concealed from view until it enters one of saidtunnels, the said walls of each of said tunnels flaring laterally andoutwardly to define an entrance throat tapering into that tunnel, andthe proximal flaring side walls of each two adjacent tunnelsintersecting each other and thereby leaving no circumferential outersurface of said screen upon which a marble might lodge. I

MERVIN A. LIVINGSTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Switzerland May 16, 1946

